School bus service likely to get expensive as transporters mull fare hike

There is a good chance that school bus services in Qatar will become more expensive following the recent fuel price hike, local media reported.

While some transport providers have already increased their fares, others are mulling following in their footsteps, reported The Peninsula.

Sources in private schools have also hinted they will seek approval from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to hike bus fares in the next academic year.

Since January, 2016, the prices of petrol have gone up by over 50%. Diesel prices have also seen a similar hike over the past two years. The fuel prices are revised each month in line with global prices.

An official at Safari Transport, a leading service provider which operates on-call limousine, rent-a-car services and rental vehicles in Qatar, said they had increased fares by 5% last year.

“The rise in fuel prices has definitely affected our company’s budget. The fares we used to offer to customers have increased by 5%,” the company’s General Manager Christina Andrews told The Peninsula.

“We provide trucks to different companies. Last year, we increased the tariff by 5% to cope with increase in fuel prices. It’s increased again this year. We’ve to accommodate every expense within the given budget which becomes difficult for us,” said another official.

Sources from some private schools also said that a hike in school bus fares would become necessary.

“It’s becoming difficult for management to meet operational costs. We’ll surely increase the fees we charge for buses subject to approval from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education,” said a school official.